JJ Redick says LeBron James has been playing at All-NBA level defensively

It’s time to start a dialogue about how good LeBron James has been defensively for the Lakers.

The Lakers have been rolling for several weeks now and their recent matchup against the Mavericks was no different.

Sure, there was a lot of hoopla involved in Luka Dončić facing his former team, but when it was all over, Los Angeles defeated Dallas 107-99.

In the victory LeBron James was his usual superstar self. His offensive production was what one has come to expect. LeBron ended the night with 27 points, 12 rebounds and three assists.

However, after the win, head coach JJ Redick wanted to take a moment during his media availability to give his star his defensive flowers.

“Again, he defies what’s normal…This is not an exaggeration,” Redick said. “If you watched our basketball team every night and you’ve watched our team now for the last six weeks or so, LeBron’s playing at an All-NBA defense level.

“Now, people may have perceptions of what he is as a defender. I watch it every night. He doesn’t get scored on in isolation if teams do try to target him. He blows plays up. He’s always in the right position, shifting, recovering. I think there was this perception of him at this age like conserving energy. No, there’s no conservation of energy on that end of the floor. He’s played elite defense now for a while.”

No lies are detected in Redick’s statement here.

LeBron has picked up his level of play lately and it’s showing on both sides of the court. Sure, earlier in the season, you could find a myriad of clips where LeBron getting outrebounded with ease, failing to rotate over and refusing to fulfill the low-man duties. During this recent stretch, that’s been far from the case.

When you watch LeBron nightly, you see the difference. James is fighting for rebounds and putting a body on the nearest opposing player. He’s also closing out on shooters faster. LeBron’s getting lower into his defensive position and embracing any one-on-one challenges.

Even with Luka arriving as the newest star, the Lakers will only go as far as LeBron leads them. He’s embraced his defensive responsibility and the rest of his teammates are matching his energy.

So far in February, the Lakers have the third-best defensive rating at 107.2, are leading the NBA in the fewest points allowed in the paint at 42.6 per contest and have won eight of their last ten games.

Redick's statement that LeBron has been this great as a defender may come as a shock to casuals who only view NBA highlights on social media, but if you watch the totality of a Lakers game recently, it’s been as clear as the bright blue sky that the King has dominated defensively. You just have to be willing to watch and witness.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.